isithalal.food · Recipes
Sichuan chicken wings, no Shaoxing wine
Elena Silcock's crisp baked Sichuan chicken wings with Halal wings and a sticky glaze of toasted Sichuan pepper, chilli, soy, sesame and palm sugar, made with water in place of the Shaoxing wine.
Each method follows published technique for the dish, and every Halal substitution is checked against the ingredient pages we cite. Photographs come from our ingredient library rather than the finished dish.
Why Halal checks matter here
The glaze has 3 tbsp of Shaoxing wine, a Chinese rice wine, the wings need Halal slaughter, and some soy sauces add alcohol.
Halal-critical ingredients
- Shaoxing wine: The published glaze uses 3 tbsp of Shaoxing wine, a Chinese rice wine. Wine is the khamr the Qur'an forbids, and on this site that includes wine cooked into food. Use the same amount of water, as here. See Wine.
- Soy sauce: Brewed soy sauce's trace alcohol is accepted by many scholars, but some bottles add alcohol or mirin. Use soy sauces with no added alcohol on the label, or a certified one. See Soy sauce.
- Chicken wings: Chicken is a Halal bird, but slaughter decides whether the meat is Halal. Buy from a Halal butcher or in a certified pack. See Chicken.
Ingredients
Wings
- 800 g Halal chicken wings
- 1 tbsp baking powder
Glaze
- 1½ tsp Sichuan peppercorns
- 1½ tsp chilli flakes, plus extra to serve
- 3 tbsp water (our swap for 3 tbsp Shaoxing wine)
- 1½ tbsp garlic and ginger paste
- 3 tbsp dark soy sauce, no added alcohol
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce, no added alcohol
- 1½ tsp sesame oil
- 3 tbsp palm sugar
- to serve chopped peanuts, to serve
Method
- Bake the wings. Heat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan, gas 3). Toss the Halal wings with a pinch of salt and the baking powder, then lay them on a wire rack over an oven tray. Bake for 30 minutes, turning halfway, then turn the oven up to 220°C (200°C fan, gas 7) and bake for 20 minutes more.
- Toast the spices. Meanwhile, toast the Sichuan peppercorns and chilli flakes in a dry pan for about 2 minutes until fragrant, then grind them with a pestle and mortar.
- Cook the glaze. Tip the ground spices into a saucepan with the water, garlic and ginger paste, both soy sauces, the sesame oil and the palm sugar. Whisk together and cook over a medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes until thick and bubbling.
- Glaze and serve. Take the wings off the rack, tip them onto the tray and coat them in the glaze. Return to the oven for 5 minutes until bubbling and sticky, then scatter with the peanuts and extra chilli flakes.
Allergens
gluten (soy sauce), soy, peanuts, sesame
How this recipe was researched
Method adapted from BBC Good Food's 'Sichuan chicken wings' by Elena Silcock (serves 4: 800 g chicken wings tossed with a pinch of salt and 1 tbsp baking powder, baked on a wire rack 30 minutes at 160°C (140°C fan, gas 3), turned halfway, then 20 minutes at 220°C (200°C fan, gas 7); 1½ tsp Sichuan peppercorns and 1½ tsp chilli flakes toasted about 2 minutes and ground, then cooked 8 to 10 minutes over a medium heat with 3 tbsp Shaoxing wine, 1½ tbsp garlic and ginger paste, 3 tbsp dark soy sauce, 3 tbsp light soy sauce, 1½ tsp sesame oil and 3 tbsp palm sugar until thick; the wings tossed in the glaze and returned for 5 minutes; chopped peanuts and chilli flakes to serve). We specified Halal chicken wings and soy sauces with no added alcohol, and replaced the Shaoxing wine with 3 tbsp water; that swap is ours. Timings follow the published technique rather than a kitchen test.
Photograph from our ingredient library: glazed chicken wings, not the finished dish from this recipe.